Shopping for Veterans
Why military talent is a bargain for America’s retailers.
by Marty Levine

David Nelson remembers Lowe's from his earliest days in their shared hometown of Wilkesboro, N.C.

"This company has always been in my life," said Nelson, a Navy veteran. "Growing up, it was a Saturday thing to go to the Lowe's store."

Perhaps it was inevitable, then, that after high school Nelson became a customer service associate in the home-improvement giant's flagship store in Wilkesboro.

A year later, however, he joined the Marines and served as a corpsman with the Fleet Marine Force stationed in Twentynine Palms, Calif., with the Third Marine Aircraft Wing. He deployed in March 2003 as part of the invasion force for Operation Iraqi Freedom, then was ordered to Marine Corps Base Kaneohe, Hawaii.

After separating from the service in 2005 and completing his degree at Hawaii's Wayland Baptist University in 2007, he was hired back by Lowe's. Today, Nelson is the scheduling and trafficking supervisor for Trend, Design and Packaging.

"I feel like everything I've put into this company I've seen come back in one form or another," Nelson said.

Beefing Up Employment
Former military who have chosen retail as a career are finding themselves similarly rewarded.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the United States to need nearly 600,000 retail supervisors and more than 3.6 million retail workers in the 10 years ending in 2018 – and that doesn't include any estimates for those in the retail industry with even greater responsibility.

"With the recession seeming to be a bit behind us, we've seen retailers beefing up employment," said Kathy Mance, executive director of the National Retail Federation Foundation, the research and education arm of the National Retail Federation. The surge in employment that usually accompanies the run-up to Christmas didn't end for all companies on Jan. 1, she notes. Businesses are beginning to realize that skimping on hiring could be holding them back.

"There are some very natural skill sets among people in the military that fit beautifully with retail," Mance said. Those with logistics training, for instance, fit well into supply chain posts. Transportation veterans help retail perfect its just-on-time delivery model. And those with an MP or other military background can help with loss prevention, a huge and still-growing area.

Store managers who are successful in retail today make six-figure salaries at good companies with stores in good locations, she noted. And "retailing is not just stores in your hometown, it's the online experience," she added, involving cutting-edge Internet and mobile tech.

14,000 Veterans
"Military values are very similar to Lowe's values overall," said Katie Cody, spokeswoman for the retailer. "The military instills leadership, a strong work ethic and passion for a job well done, and that's what Lowe's looks for in employees."

Of the company's 234,000 employees, 14,000 are veterans. As part of its dedication to servicemen and women, the company foundation recently refurbished and remodeled 16 USO centers, and in 2009 paid for local National Guard troops to fly home from training to see their families before going to Afghanistan.

"That's one of the things that makes you proud to be a part of this company," said David Nelson.           

Job Openings Nationwide
The company has a lot of openings currently, Cody said, from their call center and headquarters to regional distribution centers across the country. Individual stores are always seeking new workers, from cashiers to sales specialists in individual areas such as paint or tools.

Lowe's is also in the process of hiring 8,000 to 10,000 people just for weekend teams.

"There's a wide range of salaries, and anything from full-time to part-time [positions] as well," she said. "We have all of the benefits you'd expect from a great company," including extended benefits for those called up while in the Guard or Reserves.

Nelson is at his desk by 7 a.m., ready for status updates in scheduling and traffic, which he said "goes along the same lines as an air traffic controller."

He credits his skills from the military, such as discipline and attention to detail, with helping him on his current career path. "I don't think I can claim any of the success I've had up to this point without my military training."

Safeway Expands Military Recruiting Program
Thomas Hector is a determined man.

In the Navy, he took his Officer Candidates School test three times, and passed it every time, but was intent on increasing his spatial orientation score. "I wanted to fly," he said. "I wanted to be a line officer."

Deploying to Bahrain, he was stationed with a helicopter squadron, whose members helped him pass. Then came flight school and deployment over Iraq from November 2003 until June 2004. He left the service two years later as a lieutenant junior grade.

At Safeway today, he is about to complete the grocery chain's new Leadership Development Program for JMOs, a 44-week paid ($75,000 a year) training program that will allow Hector to step into a store manager position.

"Next to flying, I've never had so much fun on a job," he said.

“Russ Jackson, the corporate senior vice president of human resources, said failure is not an option," Hector continues. "The future is very bright."

Indeed, said Jackson, the JMO program, which counted Hector among its first class of five enrollees last June, has been so successful its about to be expanded and duplicated for other Safeway career paths. Jackson has plans to start JMO candidates in a logistics and warehouse training program and non-commissioned officers in a pilot training program to parallel the JMO effort.

"We think we tapped into something that is a competitive advantage for us," he said.

It certainly gives JMOs an advantage at Safeway. From this program they can springboard to district manager and beyond, or to the corporate/ marketing end of the business. In the process, the training helps them with the basics of store management and aids their transfer into Safeway's corporate culture.

"Learning how to run a business unit from Safeway is earning a mini-MBA," Hector said.

He's impressed with the pay and benefits, which include discounts on health insurance for those who maintain a healthy lifestyle, which is particularly easy immediately post-military.

Hector recalls his first days here, when he met people with decades of company loyalty. "What made my decision to come here was people," he said. "Plus, I've always wanted to run my own business, and Safeway has given me a chance to do that."

SEARS: Leading from Responsibility
"The confidence to be able to get things done with limited resources while thinking on your feet" is what excites Eric T. Rivera about working as a project manager with Inventory Management Systems & Support for Sears Holdings Corporation. "You'll be thrown into lots of situations that will challenge you," he said. It reminds Rivera of his military career, where he is a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve.

He works in the headquarters of the merged Sears and Kmart, where he aims to improve the company's business and IT processes when he isn't commanding the Minneapolis-St. Paul Air Reserve Station in Minnesota. He last deployed as a combat commander in Bagram, Afghanistan, in 2008.

"My hat's off to this company in terms of being able to balance that responsibility" in their treatment of both deployed service members and those doing their Reserve or Guard duties. He is happy to have landed in a place that presents enormous opportunity and the chance to progress on his merits.

Employment and More
Rivera is one of Sears Holdings' 30,000-plus veteran employees.

"Our military employees are among our most valuable assets," said Christina Dibble, program manager for military talent and a 10-year Army Reserve and National Guard veteran. "Because many of their skills are transferable to the business sector, we are able to introduce them into positions and leadership roles involving a wide range of industry disciplines, such as logistics, store management and home services.

"Our military efforts are not just about employment," Dibble added. "They are also about taking care of the military community at-large."

She cites the company's Associate Military Support Network (AMSN), the Extended Military Leave policy, and the Heroes at Home project. The AMSN keeps Sears' veterans connected and helps ease the transition to their civilian careers, while the leave policy gives up to 60 months of differential pay to those deployed.

The Heroes at Home program has provided over $21 million to help more than 71,000 military families. And Sears Holdings prides itself on being a Top 100 Military Friendly Employer for the past five years.

The company, Dibble said, will need to fill jobs most immediately in inventory logistics and retail management, intending to hire both service technicians and service technician managers. Starting salaries vary among the many positions.

Dedicated Employees
Sears' Rick Coates said his fellow workers' dedication to this career impresses him.

"Nowhere but in the military do I run across people with such long careers in one organization" as he has at Sears Holdings, Coates said. His mother-in-law, for one, is celebrating 50 years this year.

A lieutenant colonel with the Marine Corps Reserve, commanding the 4^th Reconnaissance Battalion headquartered in San Antonio, Coates has spent the last decade with Sears and is now a project manager in operations support with Sears Logistic Services.

"The people you interact with every day make it worth coming to work," he said. "That's why it is in a lot of ways similar to the military and the Marine Corps. And the project management aspect of my job is no different than being a battalion commander. There's no way I can do what I do all by myself."

Not only have his Marine Corps leadership skills been an immense aid at Sears, his Sears project manager skills have helped him with military logistics, planning and communications, he said.

"If you can lead different military organizations," Coates said, "you can lead different civilian organizations."

Serving Civilian Careers
Navy veteran Dan Rosenberg is director of partner resources –Starbucks' term for HR – for this global retail champ's supply chain, which includes its roasting plants and other manufacturing, transportation and logistics. The former Navy intelligence commander fondly remembers taking an admiral on a company tour.

"His comment to me was one line I've heard often," Rosenberg said. " 'People at Starbucks are just proud of what they do.' He said it was a phenomenal experience for him.

"I love Starbucks," he added. "It's an incredible company. The passion around what we do is outstanding. It's because of the care we demonstrate in all levels of our organization."

One focus, he said, is making sure partners are given opportunities for advancement and, as in the military, to map out their careers. He recently hired two veterans as plant supervisors, thanks to their leadership and technical skills. "That's what we're looking for," he said, "people who can pop in and demonstrate those classic leadership skills that you find in military."

Rosenberg developed his own skills in the Navy Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps while on active duty and then as an intelligence officer in the Reserve, during which he spent a year at Guantanamo Bay.

Today, he and his partner resources colleagues attend military career days to recruit at all levels – from entry-level to directors of distribution, forklift drivers and maintenance managers. "At all levels of our organization, we have people of military experience and background," he said.

Wanted: Military Skills
That includes those with disabilities, added Phil Hendrickson, manager of global talent sourcing strategy at the company.

While 95 percent of Starbucks jobs are in their retail stores, he noted, there are 300 jobs listed on its corporate website, from IT to supply chain to logistics. "We have to be competitive on so many levels" with other retailers for store employees, and with other large corporations for salaried workers. "So it's hard to characterize all of our salaries."

What's clear, Hendrickson said, is that the core skills of a store manager fit veterans' skills: from thinking on your feet and knowing how to act under pressure to staying results-oriented and demonstrating what he calls leadership courage.

"While you can find people with like skills in corporate America," he said, "veterans possess those skills far in excess of the average job seeker."

Lowe’s
HQ: Wilkesboro, N.C.
# of employees: 234,000
Founded: 1946
Website: www.lowes.com 
Employment website: https://careers.lowes.com/default.aspx

Jobs
The company has a variety of openings across the country, including jobs at:

• Call centers
• Headquarters
• Regional distribution centers
• Cashiers
• Sales specialists in individual areas such as paint or tools.
  

Lowe's also is in the process of hiring 8,000 to 10,000 people just for part-time weekend teams.

Pay
Salaries vary depending on the position. The company offers full benefits, including extended benefits for those called up while in the Guard or Reserves.

Safeway
HQ: Pleasanton, Calif.
# of employees: 180,000
Founded: 1915
Website: www.safeway.com/IFL/Grocery/Home
Employment website: www.careersatsafeway.com/

Jobs
Positions include:

• Paid training for JMOs to become store managers is available through the Leadership Development Program.
• Safeway has also begun a logistics and warehouse training program for JMOs and parallel training for non-commissioned officers.
• Department heads
• 1^st or 2^nd assistant store manager
• Clerical jobs
  

Pay
Starting salary for store managers: $75,000 a year

Sears Holdings Corporation
HQ: Hoffman Estates, Ill.
# of employees: 300,000
Founded: Sears - 1886; Kmart - 1899; Sears Holdings Corporation - 2005
Website: www.searsholdings.com 
Employment website: www.searsholdings.com/military

Jobs
The company needs to fill jobs most immediately in:

• Inventory management
• Logistics management
• Retail management
• Service technicians
• Service technician managers
  

Pay
Starting salaries vary


Starbucks
HQ: Seattle, Wash.
# of employees: 170,000
Founded: 1971
Website: www.starbucks.com
Employment website: www.starbucks.com/career-center/working-at-starbucks

Jobs
At press time there were 300 jobs listed on the corporate website, including positions in:

• IT
• Supply chain
• Logistics
  

Pay
Varies by position, but described as “competitive”